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Fishing Wast Water: what the data says
686-acre lake near Cumbria. The lake tops out around 249 ft. The contours are modeled from the water's real shoreline and maximum depth. Treat them as a rough guide, and never use them for navigation. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.
The drawn water covers 685 acres wrapped in 6.9 miles of bank. A middling shoreline index (1.9) gives it some bays to work without being a maze. 1% of the surface is littoral (under ~15 ft), per the model — cover, weeds and forage water.
Brown Trout fishing at Wast Water
Start shallow in spring: brown trout sit in 3 to 25 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 25 to 60 ft; cold water stacks them in 5 to 35 ft. Top water on the chart: Main-lake point, a point in the 62-ft range, prime in summer. Fish it in after dark and early morning and you'll meet the bite. Throw a spoon at the thermocline or a deep stickbait (night) until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | open water | Stickbait off planer boards (shallow), Small spoon along mud lines |
| Summer | 25 to 60 ft | night & dawn | Main-lake point (62 ft) | Spoon at the thermocline, Deep stickbait (night) |
| Fall | 5 to 30 ft | dusk & dawn | open water | Jerkbait over gravel, Casting spoon |
| Winter | 5 to 35 ft | dawn | Break off the point (112 ft) | Jigging spoon, Small stickbait (slow) |
European Perch fishing at Wast Water
When the water first warms, european perch slide up into 3 to 12 ft. Summer is a 8 to 28 ft game here, winter a 12 to 33 ft one. Start at Shallow bay flat. It's a weed flat holding about 6 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run early morning. Keep a drop-shot micro plastics or a small crankbait (perch pattern) rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Small jig + curly tail, Inline spinner #1-2 |
| Summer | 8 to 28 ft | dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small crankbait (perch pattern) |
| Fall | 10 to 33 ft | midday | Deep basin (212 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Drop-shot on deep flats |
| Winter | 12 to 33 ft | midday & dawn | Deep basin (212 ft) | Tungsten jig + maggots, Small balance jig |
Northern Pike fishing at Wast Water
Spring northern pike on Wast Water hold shallow, usually 2 to 8 ft. They move out to 8 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 5 to 15 ft. Put Shallow bay flat first on the milk run — a weed flat near 6 ft that grades prime for spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
Arctic Char fishing at Wast Water
Spring puts arctic char in skinny water — 4 to 15 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 20 to 60 ft, wintering in 10 to 40 ft. Summer arctic char concentrate at Deep basin, a good-rated deep basin around 212 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning. A jigging spoon vertical or a tube jig (smelt) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | open water | Small casting spoon (silver/orange), Jerkbait (small) |
| Summer | 20 to 60 ft | dawn | Deep basin (212 ft) | Jigging spoon vertical, Tube jig (smelt) |
| Fall | 8 to 30 ft | midday & dusk | open water | Casting spoon (orange/gold), Beadhead streamer |
| Winter | 10 to 40 ft | midday & dawn | Deep basin (212 ft) | Jigging spoon (glow/silver), Tungsten jig + plastic |
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 212 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 112 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 62 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 62 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
Common questions
How deep is Wast Water?
Wast Water is about 249 ft (76 m) deep at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.
What fish are in Wast Water?
Anglers target northern pike, european perch, brown trout, arctic char on Wast Water. This isn't a survey of the water — none is published for it — but an informed estimate from the species common to the region, narrowed by this water's depth, size and each species' range.
Where is the best fishing spot on Wast Water?
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for european perch in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Wast Water?
For brown trout, the summer bite is best in after dark and early morning. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Nearby waters
Greendale Tarn 1 mi · Burnmoor Tarn 2 mi · Low Tarn 2 mi · Scoat Tarn 3 mi · Buttermere 6 mi · Ennerdale Water 7 mi · Crummock Water 8 mi · Dock Tarn 9 mi · Blea Tarn 10 mi · Loweswater 10 mi · Elter Water or Elterwater 11 mi · Grasmere 11 mi
See how Wast Water stacks up: best northern pike lakes in United Kingdom · best european perch lakes in United Kingdom · best brown trout lakes in United Kingdom · best arctic char lakes in United Kingdom
Browse all United Kingdom fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.